1. Technical Field
The present invention relates in general to the field of HTTP client processing and more particularly to an improved method of and system for handling cookies in an HTTP client.
2. Description of the Related Art
HTTP cookies are packets of text that an HTTP server sends to an HTTP client as part of a response. Currently, cookies are identified by a unique name, and the server domain and a path within the server domain. The client stores the cookies it receives. When the client accesses the server again with an HTTP request, the client attaches to the request any cookies stored for the server domain and path. Cookies allow servers to maintain specific information about a particular client. Examples of cookie content include session and/or authentication information, tracking information for usage statistics, user specific site preferences, and dynamic content, such as a shopping cart. A cookie may also specify an expiration date and a flag that it may be sent by the client only when the connection is secure.
The current methods of handling cookies lead to certain ambiguities and problems. Current cookie clients cannot handle several instances of a cookie with the identical name, domain, and path. This limitation leads to problems when the client attempts to access a resource on a server in different contexts. For example, if the user attempts to have concurrent sessions with one server resource, both sessions will use the same cookies. Accordingly, the server resource will not be able to distinguish between the sessions. Examples of concurrent sessions include multiple browser instances on the client or multiple tabs within a single browser instance.